WO1997006672A1

WO1997006672A1 - Animal collar cover

Info

Publication number: WO1997006672A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/012433
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Roth
Original assignee: James Roth
Priority date: 1995-08-15
Filing date: 1996-07-29
Publication date: 1997-02-27
Also published as: AU6641296A

Abstract

This invention is a removable animal collar cover (10) comprising a fabric tube which may be fitted over a dog collar (13) to prevent chafing and staining of the animal's fur. The cover (10) may comprise a stretchable fabric, such as spandex or nylon, formed into a tube which may be slid onto an animal collar (13). The cover (10) may also have a fastener (17) such that the fabric may be fastened around the collar (13).

Description

ANIMAL COLLAR COVER Background of the Invention

Animal collars, particularly dog collars, which are known in the art may damage the hair and skin on the animal's neck by chafing or staining. To address this problem, animal collars which include a plastic or rubber cover have been suggested by

Bongiovanni, U.S. Patent No. 3,817,218, and Wood, U.S. Patent No. 649,026. These plastic or rubber covers reduce, but may not eliminate, chafing or staining. In addition, the covers disclosed by Bongiovanni and Wood are essentially a part of the collar, and are not easily removable or washable. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an animal collar cover that eliminates or minimizes chafing or staining of the animal's hair and skin.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an animal collar cover that is readily removable from the animal collar such that it may easily be cleaned or replaced. Summary of the Invention

These objects and others are achieved by the animal collar cover of the present invention. The removable animal collar cover comprises a fabric tube made of a very fine weave fabric which may be fitted over a dog collar to prevent chafing and staining of the animal's fur. The cover preferably comprises a stretchable fabric such as spandex or nylon, permanently formed into a tube, which may be slid onto an animal collar.

Alternatively, the cover may have a fastener such that the fabric may be fastened around the collar. Further objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become evident from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the improved animal collar cover of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the improved animal collar cover of FIG.l taken along the lines 2-2; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the improved animal collar cover of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the improved animal collar cover of FIG. 3 taken along the lines 4-4; and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the improved animal collar cover of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Drawings The animal collar cover of the present invention may be used with a variety of different types of animal collars. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a dog choke collar 13 made of chain 11 may be covered with collar cover 10. Collar cover 10 consists of a tube of fabric formed by sewing or otherwise joining the edges of the fabric together in a seam 12. The fabric is preferably a very fine weave fabric such that the animal's hair does not go through the weave of the fabric. In a preferred embodiment, a stretchable fabric, such as spandex or nylon, is used. The fabric is more comfortable and less likely to chafe or stain than other materials used in collar covers, such as rubber or plastic, and the fabric collar cover may easily be cleaned by washing. The cover may be permanently attached to the collar or, in a preferred embodiment, the cover may easily be removed from the collar. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the collar cover 10 is made of stretchable fabric, and may be fitted over the collar 13 by sliding it over one of the rings that form the ends 14 of the collar 13, and removed in the same manner. Thus, the collar cover 10 may easily be removed and washed or replaced. In addition, collar covers 10 of different colors may be used for safety or other reasons. For example, while a black collar cover 10 might ordinarily be preferred by the owner of a black dog, the black collar cover 10 might be replaced with an orange collar cover 10 for hunting, or a reflective white collar cover 10 for walking at night.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the collar cover 10 used with a standard animal collar 13 made of leather or vinyl 16. As in FIG. 1, the cover 10 may be fitted over the collar 13 by sliding it over one end 15 of the collar 13, and it may be removed in the same manner.

An alternate embodiment of the collar cover 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5. As in FIGS. 1-4, the collar cover 10 consists of a fabric tube which may be slid over a collar 13. In this embodiment, the collar cover 10 also has a fastener 17 at the ends of the collar cover 10 which may be used to close the collar cover 10 around the collar 13. The fastener 17 may comprise Velcro^® strips, as shown in FIG. 5, or it may comprise a snap, button, or any other known fastening means.

The invention has been described above in an illustrative manner and it is to be understood that terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

I claim:

1. An animal collar cover comprising a fabric tube which may be fitted around an animal collar, wherein the fabric tube is comprised of a very fine weave fabric.

2. An animal collar cover according to claim 1, wherein the fabric tube is removable.

3. An animal collar cover according to claim 2, wherein the fabric tube is stretchable.

4. An animal collar cover according to claim 2, wherein the fabric tube is washable.

5. An animal collar cover according to claim 2, wherein the fabric tube has two ends, further comprising a fastener which permits the ends of the fabric tube to be releasably joined.